For the first time ever, the Saudi-owed, Manchester City Football Club has won the Champions League after suffering and ultimately surviving against a spirted Snakes squad in Internazionale Milano!  It was a match, that frankly, should have been won by the Serie A side, however the footballing gods had other plans.  After six years of UCL failure under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, the Cityzens were due to have lady luck on their side.  Thus, despite the Light Blues being out shot, having created fewer quality chances, and allowing monumental backline gaffes, the ball simply wouldn’t go past Ederson’s goal line. And in turn, thanks to a well defended cross that fortuitously ricochetted directly to City’s defensive midfielder Rodri, one certainly not known for possessing goalscoring prowess, whom did indeed dispatch the open look into the back of the net, propelled Man City to a 1-0 final’s win from Istanbul, Turkey.

With the win, City has now become just the 10th team in the history of the European Cup/Champions League to win the famed ‘Treble’.  City came from behind to catch and ultimately cruise past Arsenal to claim the 2022-23 Premier League title.  Then MCFC dispatched their city rivals in Manchester United to win the 2022-23 FA Cup, before finally securing the Champions League trophy last night.  Also, it’s just the second time that an English club has won the Treble, and that was of course Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1998-99 Red Devils.  City was decidedly the best team in club football over the totality of this season, regardless if I believe they deserved to win last night or not.  In addition, despite Erling Haaland failing to score in both cup finals, he has proven to be what was the missing piece to City’s ultimate success.  The Norwegian, who broke the PL single season goalscoring record this season, has been a terror for opponents even when he's not touching the ball, because he opens the game up for his teammates around him, such as Rodri most recently.

Lastly, in the present, pundits are comparing this squad to Pep’s 2008-09 Barcelona Treble winning side that featured Leo Messi, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, and several other top players.  To me, and to reference Downton Abbey’s, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham , that’s “AMBITIOUS”. However, I understand the English media providing a City biased viewpoint.  With that said, long term we shall see how this team is remembered considering the club currently has 101 counts of rules impropriety charges from the Premier League. Additionally, just a couple of years ago, the club got off scot-free from allegations brought forth by UEFA thanks to a statutes of limitations technicality— a stipulation that the Premier League doesn’t have.  Thus, the question has to be asked, if any or all of these 101 counts are proven to be true will this title, this treble, heck, even this entire Pep/City era, even be officially recognized come 5 to 10 years from now?  If FIFA has a say in the matter… well that’s an article for another day.